I GIVE UP ...** UPDATE **

[Crazy4Chicks]

Left the house for about 4 hrs - came home the bator is reading 110 - this is the second temp spike I have had - I am pretty sure they are done for this time I touched the eggs and the are HOT it is to light for me to try and candle them - so I will not know anything for a few hours. I feel like giving up - this is my first try at hatching and I feel like I am doing everything wrong.
these are duck eggs and they are only on day 16 -

I am using the LG still air bator - I know some of you dont like using the cheaper model, but that is what " santa " gave me for christmas. DH is trying to be a help and find a dark corner for me to candle them but I will just have to wait.
If they are gone will I know right away ? what should I look for ? when I candled them last night they were moving but not very much and the temps have been fine since the last spike.


Julie

 

[asher]

Could the thermomet/hygrometer be wrong/need new batteries?

 

[Crazy4Chicks]

I dont think it needs new batteries yet - it is brand new and we checked them before we used it.
I have the bator opened to try and bring the temps down before putting the lid back on I just dont have much hope in them surviving another spike -

I really want to give up and cry


Julie

 

[justusnak]

Awww, Julie, dont give up. Do you have your bator plugged into a power strip? This helps with temp fluctuations. When the power fluctuates...so do the bator temps.

I sure hope they make it through.
Let us know. But, I would give them a few days...at least.

 

[Crazy4Chicks]

I never thought to plug it into a surge protector

I am so new to this ! I have an extra surge protector around here I just have to find it - might be in with the christmas stuff

oh this is all so stressful

Julie

 

[jkcove08]

Hey, it can be so frustrating until you get the hang of it. Along with a surge protector I would make sure that the bator is in a draft free room. If you dont really have one, like me, start with the basement, and then cover it with a blanket. I keep mine in the basement all summer since the temp in always around 65 in the basement. Right no I have mine all over in my house. I have one in my sons room on the main floor of the house, 1 on the counter in my kitchen and 2 on the second floor in a corner of the hall. Every one of them I have calabrated with a blanket totally over the top. I still have some temp flux due to the temp of the house but in general right now it does pretty good. The temp might go up a degree during the night and then down during the day. 3 of them are still air bators and when the temp goes up a little I just slide the blanket off a little and then when they go down again I just cover it back up all the way. I have had wonderful hatches for the last 3 and currently I have button quails that have just started hatching. These are in the bator that just 2 days ago my 5 yr old unplugged my bator by accedent to plug something else back in. I didnt realize it until that evening and the bator was down to 73. They are starting to hatch so it wasnt that bad. Another thought is to get the slightly more expensive thermometer/ hygrometer from wally word that has the prob for a out door temp. I set mine in the bator so that the bottom of the thermometer is up in the air. THat is where it registers the temp. then I make sure the probe is on the bottom of the bator. I dont have any water wiggles so I do this to know what the temp is at the floor and at the top of the thermometer and then I know that it is between those 2 temps inbetween. My top temp might be 102 and the bottom is 99 so I knos it is around 100 to 101 where the eggs are. I hope this helps a little. I dont think the eggs that are in there will probably make it but I have wiped out over $60. worth of eggs before with temp spikes so you are certainly not the only one. Jenn

 

[Crazy4Chicks]

well I candled them and there is no movement just a black blob near the surface of the shell - I will give them till moday - if there is still no movement than I will start all over again with some mutt chicken eggs from my girls.
I dont have a basement - so I will just have to try and find a god place to put the bator - I did find the surge protector so at least that is so help I hope.


thanks for the advice I hope they are just resting in there

Julie

 

[Crazy4GameCocks]

hey sis sorry to hear about the eggs hope they r ok. i have a Hova Bator and it holds the temp good. Hope all is well Lova YA

 

[Crazy4Chicks]

Before anyone yells at me for giving up on these eggs to fast - - I have a friend who has been hatching babies for a very long time - and she came over to look at the eggs and in her opion she would pull them.
so after thinking about and trying to figure what I wanted to do - me and her went ahead and pulled them - we cracked them to find two perfect little black baby ducks with feathers and tiny little feet and bills - but they were dead

there was no movement in my hand so I know they were dead BEFORE we opened the eggs.

I am going to try to hatch again I dont know if I want to try some mutt chicken eggs or try some more duck eggs.

Julie

 

[turnerstar31]

sorry crazy hopefully you have better luck next time. This is my advice since I have one and some people would disagree with me but it seems to help me. I actually keep my temp lower than what they say to with a still air. I actually like to keep mine at a 100 degrees. If it jumps up it usually does not get to bad. Try a closet if you have one that also might help. I also would leave the plugs out. Don;t give up just keep trying. I know it is aweful that you lost them but it will work out and you will get babies at some point.